The Last Swordbender
by nasba
Summary: After what felt like an eternity, the Counter Guardian EMIYA finaly got his chance to change his fate. Now with a new body and a set goal, it is up to him to mend a world torn by war. Bit of AU. Posible spoilers.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations used in this story. The following is a non-profit work of fictions.**

**First off I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking your time to read this drable. After spending a some time on the site and reading a good bit of stories I decided to try my own hand at it. **

**NOTE: english is not my first language, nor have I written anything noteworthy in my native language.**

**Now without further ado**

_**Story start**_

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"Well this is unusual..." That was the only coherent thought in his mind right now. Apart from EMIYA suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar location, that can simply not be described in the human tongue, there was a woman in front of him that he could describe no better than then the location itself. When he felt that he was being pulled, he had thought that this was going to be another summoning. Another slaughter. Another reminder of his fate as a Counter Guardian. That for the rest of eternity he will be a simple instrument of destruction wielded by the hand of Alaya when it saw fit.

But this? This was none of those things. Right now he was standing on his own two feet. Not in a form of a natural disaster, as it usually happens when it comes to the Counter Force. He would have thought that he was summoned into another Grail War, but then he would have received a class and, apart from other things, knowledge of his current time and location. Yet right now he couldn't even tell the colour of the floor he was standing on. He could see it. He could feel the solid ground under him. But no matter how hard he tried, his mind could not comprehend his surroundings. Using _structural analysis_ simply gave him a headache, so he decided focus his attention at the... Woman? Person? Whatever, in front of him, who, despite him not being able to wrap his mind around the... whatevers presence, he could have sworn was smirking at him.

"You should relax a bit. Straining your head about the colour of the floor will do you no good." She, and despite the millions of voices blurred together, he was sure it was a she, spoke as if reading his mind and before he could utter out anything she spoke again: "Now, since you're so eager to get down to business, let me explain a bit. You are here, because I decided for you to be here. What I want from you, is for you to hear my offer out. And as to who I am... Well lets just say that I've been your employer for the past few millennium."

EMIYA's mind was now rasing even harder then before. '_My employer? She decided for me to be here? Is this actually Alaya?_' After coming to th conclusion that it WAS in fact Alaya standing in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a slight temptation to torn the divine presence into a bloody pile of minced meat with every sword he could possibly think of. He supressed that thought, not only because he HIGHLY doubted he could pull it off, but because it was obvious, that his self proclaimed "_employer_" could read his mind.

It didn't seem that she was unnerved by the intentions of the red clad knight in the least. He actually could have sworn that the smirk she was wearing grew into a grin.

"_Well if sh's planing to be so smug, then I suppose there's no need to waste energy talking. Not like I can stop her from reading my mind after all." _At that thought his host's grin relaxed into a satisfied smirk.

"Well if that's how you feel, then I suppose there is no use delaying thing any further. I brought you here to make you an offer. In fact, since I already know your answer, all of this is just a technicality."

"What kind of offer are you talking about?" he asked, after it became apparent that she wants him to ask, refusing to answer otherwise. He was getting impatient. Standing here in front of the one who caused his accursed fate upon him, completely reliant on the whim of what is closest to God that he knows of,powerless to influence anything that transpires, is far from an ideal situation in the Counter Guardians mind.

Sensing his growing unease, the embodiment of the Universe finally spoke again: "How would you like to leave the Throne of Heroes? Permanently." Now that got his attention. Leave? Just like that? Surely there had to be a catch. "Oh there is definitely a catch." Again she answered without him asking. "You earned the title of a hero, so I can't just throw you into the cycle of reincarnation. But I can't just get rid of a spirit as... unique... as yours. So I am planing to put you in a vacant body. One that's young, stong and was SUPPOSED to be destined for great things. Unfortunately the Spirit in that body decided to give up and mostly move on. unfortunately due to certain circumstances it can't do that completely. Now that world is one hero short and less than a year away from ruin. To answer your question: yes it's male." He shut his mouth, the question answered before he could voice it.

Now that was an offer he most certainly could not have expected. A chance to leave. Not just spend eternity "_remembering_" what happened to his copies outside the throne, having memories that are not his, but at the same time his crammed into his head, every moment of his existence. He could be free.

'_But why choose me?' _was the question that was in his head. Surely there were others like him. And shouldn't there be infinite numbers of them, seeing as there are infinite realities? But then that means that there are also infinite realities with situations like the one the he is being offered to fix. But if there infinite worlds like then... "Uhh thinking about those things always makes my head hurt..." He finally said while rubbing his temples. Then he spoke again: "So I get a free pass? What guarantee will I have that after everything will be over I won't just get sucked back here? You said the guy who's body I'm gonna get is meant to save the world."

"Yes he is. But he was meant to save the world properly. It's a threat that would have been within his powers, so there would have been no need for divine intervention. Honestly you'll probably just end up being a proper Heroic Spirit. So think of this as just a trial to test if you should get a promotion."

That was puting things into relatively simple and acceptable terms. A chance to escape his living hell, to start over, to SAVE people again. It's been so long since he actually saved people rather than wipe them out as a natural disaster. All those times being summoned into the Holly Grail War, seeing his younger self determination have made it impossible to give up on that ideal.

The divinity was waiting patiently for him to give an answer. She had said that she already knew his answer and that this was just a technicality. She wouldn't have him here if was going to refuse. For the shortest of moments he considered refusing just to piss her off, but tat thought was brutally shoved aside. His damned existence would probably be made that much worse if he did. So before long he gave his answer: "It seems I'm out of options. Very well. I accept your offer."

"Good man." The faker felt something pulling around him. "You'll have the information on the life of the guy who's body your getting... Among other things " The voice seemed farther and farther away with each word, but it was still undeniably clear what was being said. "The information will be stored in your head like it would be if it was another copy of you after a Grail War. You will know everything that happened, but in a way that you would after reading about it." The voice echoed in his ears now. The world was black. "Good luck."

Finally he saw light again. He felt like he was falling. After looking around he realised that was because he WAS in fact falling. He looked at the direction of his destination, roughly a few kilometres below, taking a quick note than the land around it was all covered in snow and ice. As he neared he thought he heard a familiar voice, a universe away saying something along the lines of "_this should be good"_ over the crunches of what sounded loke pop-corn. He frowned, feeling an unexplainable desire to impale a certain Wizard Marshall. He didn't know what, when or how, but he knew, just KNEW, that something was going to happen and that the damn old man has something to do with it.

Those thoughts went away as he finally reached his destination, going through thick ice into a body of someone who was still a child. Then the world was black again.

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**So what do you think? Should I continue, or am I just wasting everyones time? Please tell me in the reviews.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations used in this story. The following is a non-profit work of fictions.**

**So welcome back. due to mostly positive feedback I decided to sit down and continue writing the story, taking into account all the constructive criticism.**

**I doubt if it's perfect, but if it was it would all down hill from there so I'm not too worried. **

**This is more of a intro chapter. Archer doing his best to figure out what the hell is going on, so there is next to no action. I also decided not to include the conversations between Zuko and Iroh. Keep it in Archers perspective for now.**

**There was some concern about me mentioning Zelretch in the last chapter. Honestly, that was bootlegged in there at the last moment. felt natural to do it. Guess after reading so many fics with him, it felt like tradition that I didn't want to ignore.**

**Note: English is still only my second language. Nothings changed there.**

**Now enough of all that**

** Story start**

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A blinding blue light. That was the only thing to be seen right now. He could hear faint noises, a muffled sound of something hard hitting something else and then a sudden hiss of steam and a loud cracking noise that very quickly culminated into an explosion. The blue light, if possible, became even brighter. He felt himself moving, but noted that he still had no control over the body. The former counter guardian started worrying if maybe he was deceived and the body he was thrust into still had an owner. If that was the case, then he would just be along for the ride at best, and sucked back into the Throne at worst.

"Stop"

He head the words being spoken. The voice, unsurprisingly, was unfamiliar. What did surprise him is that the word was spoken in english. He still could not see, but judging from the voice it was a male, roughly in his teen years. Before any further thought, the blue light dissipated and EMIYA felt the control of the body given to him. unfortunately the sudden change, combined with the fact that he was unfamiliar with his new body and that said body, by the feel of it, was tired beyond belief, so you can't hold it against the reincarnated hero for collapsing to the ground. A very possible fear of the young man that spoke before seizing this opportunity to end his life in this moment of weakness washed over him. To be honest the former Hero of Justice wouldn't have held it against him. After all. Here he was. A possible threat, lying on the ground. Again all he could do is curse himself for his lack of power. He felt a pair of gloved hands making contact with his skin and a poking on his head, with what felt like the end of a bone.

"Stop it"

The former Counter Guardian realised how out of it he was when a second voice spoke. He didn't realise that there was more than one person near him. This one, however seemed female and a couple of years younger than her counterpart. Finally he mustered the strength to force his eyes open. What greeted him was a face of a young woman. Barely fourteen by the looks of it, though it was hard to say due to the thick coat that covered almost every inch of her. A look of genuine concern replaced by a smile that almost rivaled Kiritsugus at the sight of him opening his eyes. For a moment he felt safe. He forced that feeling away. It is most definitely NOT safe. He was in an unknown location, with at least two people of unknown capabilities, who may or may not be hostile. His body in a state that was far from battle ready. He felt frail, tired and he had yet to thoroughly check his circuits. There seemed to be more of them. A LOT more. And there was something different about them. He was not willing to risk using them just yet.

Lucky for him, it seemed that for the time being the people around him were willing to not take drastic actions. Realising that if it came down to a confrontation he would be at a disadvantage, he decided that the best course of action would be to attempt conversation. That way he could try to gather valuable information while keeping his options open. Not the best plan he ever had, but at the moment he lacked valuable information so he'll just have to wing it until he gets a good feel on his position in all this.

Pushing his luck, he decided to speak up: "I need to ask you a few things." He winced at the sound of his own voice. It was so weak and frail, it was almost pathetic to listen to.

"What?" She asked without hesitation. "What is it?" She seemed so eager to comply. It unnerved him a bit. Didn't she realise that he could be a threat? That he could just be waiting for her to let her guard down? Was she so trusting and naive, or was that just an act to get his guard down? It could very well be. He wasn't sure what she would gain from that though. He was in a position where she could very easily snap his neck, suffocate him, and there was little he could do about it. Though perhaps she felt his energy slowly returning to him and decided to just play it safe. Though... he was probably just being paranoid. He know he had a tendency to do that often. These weren't Heroic Spirits he was dealing with. It was just kids. Kids that were just in the wrong place at just the right time. He was still alive so he decided to see the kids as neutral for the time being.

"First things first. Can you let me stand up? Lying on the ice isn't doing me any favors." He hoped that he was not pushing his luck and that these two will not decide that its better to keep him on the ground. But frankly if he has to spend any longer siting on the ice, he will probably go numb. He already felt his legs and hands getting frostbite.

"Uhh... sure" She moved away a bit. Seems like his tone put the girl on her guard. Maybe she wasn't as trusting as he made her out to be. He decided to be careful not to antagonize the girl any further. He might be feeling a bit stronger than he did a minute ago, but he would still prefer to avoid conflict with foes of unknown capabilities where possible.

Standing up was a more interesting experience than it should have been. It was like the air around him pushed him up rather than him using his muscles to push himself up. Seems like he was not the only one who found that weird, because the male that has been watching the short exchange of words between him and the young girl reeled back with a yelp. Now that he get a better look at the teen, he fully took in his appearance. A thick blue coat, similar to the one the girl was wearing, if a bit darker and shorter. His head was shaved around the sides, with the hair on the top tied into a pony tail. The most distinct feature of his was the spear. It was nothing special. A crude hunting spear made of bone, but it brought some satisfaction when he felt it being stored in Unlimited Blade Works. That means that he still had his swords. That getting this new body didn't rip everything he was before away. He decided to file that information away for a later time. Maybe when he didn't have the pointy end of a spear inches away from him. Though the stance of the teen was far from perfect, his footing was sure and his hold was firm. But the young man in blue quickly relaxed when the Former Heroic Spirit didn't take any hostile action.

And came a dilemma. He lacked any sort of information. The knowledge about the world around him didn't come pouring into his head like it should. Instead it was slowly dripping into his head. The information was coming as it would if you had a child telling you about his day. Sidetracked at every little detail. It would have been interesting, but right now it was infuriating. He desperately needed information if he was to take any action, but the childish voice in the back of his head wasn't giving anything useful. Instead he got a detailed explanation about the joys of penguin sledding. He could have asked the two other people here, but that would be admitting a weakness. Puting them in a place of power and he wasn't sure if he was comfortable with that.

"Whats going on here?" That was the most basic question that he could have asked. It would hopefully get some answers without getting too much suspicion.

"You tell us! How'd you get in the ice!? And why aren't you frozen?" The teen actually tried to poke him with the spear. The reincarnated hero stepped out of the reach of the spear taking a more defensive stance.

"If you want answers, then you should refrain from trying to impale me. _Someone _might get hurt." That sent the young hunter further on edge. For a moment it looked like negotiations are over and a fight is about to ensure when a low growl filed the air. Everyone the two kids in blue coats jumped at the sound while EMIYA proceed the new information that the voice in the back of his head had given him. Apparently the remnants of the spirit recognised the growl to belong to his... pet?...familiar?... His animal companion. The voice started giving him all sorts of information on the beast. From it's name being Appa, to how he got it. From his favorite food, to the best places to scratch him. At the mention of it being a Root be damned _FLYING BYSON _he couldn't help his curiosity and climbed up the ice he was leaning on not long ago. He idly noted how light his body felt. Like the air around him is actually pushing him in the direction he wants to go. The moment he made his way to the top, however, he was greeted by the sight of a enormous mountain of fuzz moving up and down. He supressed an unexplainable urge to jump and embrace the fury creature and, deciding that the best action now would be caution. He slowly made his way down near the sleeping giant, taking note, that the other two people are slowly looking for an opening into the ice crater, that did not include climbing.

The former Counter Guardian was confused as to what he should do. All the information he received told him that he can trust the bison with anything. That the two of them are best friends, despite one not being human. But common sence told him that he was NOT the creatures friend. He was just someone who stole the bisons real friends body. What if the giant mountain of hair saw that. Some animals have a sence for such things after all. And if the previous owner of his current body left, who is to say that the same didn't happen to the bison? He wouldn't put it past Alaya to cram the spirit of a rabid dog into the creatures hollow body. His fears were put to rest when the breathing hill opened it's eyes and before any action could be made the beast licked him and let out a low satisfied growl. The hero decided to return the favor by using the information he received and scratching the hairy mammal just above the nose. After enjoying a short session of petting the creature quickly stood at the sight of the other two teens entering the crater.

"What _is _that thing?" Looks like the male was still on his guard. The sight of a giant beast that could probably swallow him whole didn't ease the tension most likely.

"This is Appa." He decided that telling the two a name would not give them something to use against him in the future. The girl didn't seem to even hear him, instead taking in the sight of a huge, six legged, horned, fury mountain of a beast. He could only guess what must have been gowing through her mind then and there. He himself was taken aback by the sight. And he had seen his fair share of weirdness. Her companion seemed to be dealing with the sight a lot better than the girl.

"Ok, but what _is_ an Appa?" He didn't seem satisfied with the answer that was given. It did look like he was feeling a lot less hostile though. At this point EMIYA was willing to take what he can get.

Now he had to he see them as potential enemies and withhold information, or potential allies and share what he knows and hope they return the favor. Even before becoming a Counter Guardian he had trouble trusting others. He knew that he was not the target of every other living being on the planet. But he still could not help but have suspicions about the intentions of others.

He doubts that the bison would make plans to kill him. He wouldn't put it past the world to do that to him, but he was sure that the animal would have just attacked him right off if he he had a problem with him. So for now he will see the beast as his only ally.

The two teens were another story. His mind was racing. Thinking of every possible outcome that trusting them could bring. But he had a felling in his gut that these two will help him. That they not only can, but should be trusted. The girls looked like she couldn't tell a lie to save her life. The boy may have been acting hostile, but made no actual threats to his life apart from that little attempt at poking which wouldn't have actually done anything, seeing how dull the spear looked.

"He's my flying bison." He answered the boy. He decided to go with his gut and trust the two. It may have set up all sorts of alarms in his head. But when stuck in an icy tundra with no food and no civilization in sight for miles? Worst come to worst, he was fairly certain he could deal with 2 kids, now that his strength hade come back.

"Right. And this is Katara. She's my flying sister." Surprise, surprise. The armed teen didn't believe him. Couldn't blame him though. The self proclaimed owner of said bison had trouble believing it himself without actually seeing it. Though, probably unintentionally, it gave him some information to work with. The girls name was apparently Katara and these two were siblings. He figured the second part out himself the moment he laid eyes on them, but it was nice to have confirmation.

It was hard to say if it was due to being frozen in ice for so long, or revenge to the teen for doubting his capabilities, but at that moment the bison in question sneezed. That would have been all right on it's own, but the sneeze launched a massive amount of snot into the young hunter. EMIYA was getting ready to defend the bison from retribution the teen might want for the aperient insult, but instead was greeted by an amusing attempts to wipe the snot off.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it will eventually wash out." He could barely contain his smirk. The unlucky victim of the bison sneeze eventually removed the green snot from his face, much to the aperient disgust of his sister. It seemed like a good time to ask more questions, now that the two were distracted: "So do the two of you live near here?"

"Don't answer that. Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the fire navy." Looks like Mr. Pony tail recovered quickly enough from the shock of being covered from head to toe in green snot and was now back on guard. But again he let some information slip. Bolt of blue light? Probably the blue light that blinded him. But whats this about a fire navy? It seems like the voice that was still giving him a rundown of proper bison care heard his question and went into a flurry of information. '_This could be troublesome._' apparently this fire navy was a navy from someplace called the Fire Nation. A land of what is basically very powerful fire mages.

Finlay actual useful information started leaking into his head. Information about the different lands here, which apparently are divided into four different regions by the type of element the people living there use. It was unsettling information. If such a big portion of the population had such power, it might be difficult to face them. He still didn't know the limitations of using these powers, and the child that was relaying the information decided that famous quizines are more important than knowledge that could save his life. On any other day he would have found the topic of cooking relaxing and nostalgic. Now it was distracting him from the situation at hand.

"Oh ya. I'm sure he's a spy for the navy. You can tell by that _evil_ look eye." Before he could finish puting the last bit of information in order the girl brought even more to his plate. It was obvious that she was being sarcastic, but it still gave him more food for thought. '_So she thinks the fire navy is evil? Wonder what caused that worldview compared to the information I was given that showed everyone living peacefully in a land of rainbows. _' So the information going into his head is either stale or biased. He'll have to keep that in mind when he goes over all of it. It also came to his attention that he has no idea how he actually looks right now. He feels like hes bald and his voice sound younger then even either of the teens in front of him.

"The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka. You never told us your name." Paranoid? The guy seemed very lenient given the situation. But this girl, Katara, raised a valid question. Name? The body was formerly known as Aang. If he met someone who knew him before that's what they would call him. But he didn't feel comfortable using that name. It was foreign. It was unfamiliar. But he couldn't tell them that to call him Emiya either.

Before he could decide he felt an overwhelming sneeze building up in his nose. It was aperient that he won't be able to suppress it so he tried being polite and covering his mouth as he sneezed. That was a horrible mistake, as it nearly tore his arm off. He flew roughly fifteen feet into the air before slowly descending. It it was actually a slow decent he didn't build up any speed while falling. The air itself was flowing around him to slow his fall. It was a bit worrying when an element was unconsciously going around and interfering with your life. For now it seemed like it was helping, but soonest he gets the chance he is planing to look into it. It wouldn't do to fall this slow if he was trying to execute a lunging attack.

"My name is Aang. But you can call me Archer." Upon landing he decided that using the class name that he got summoned into more times than he could count, would have to do. It may not have been the perfect solution, but it will be good enough for now.

"You just sneezed... And flew ten feet in the air." Seems like the two siblings forgot about their former question and were now more interested in that little distraction.

"By your expression I take it that's not a common sight around here?"

"Ah! You're an airbender." The girl seemed in awe. But wait.

'_I'm an airbender?'_ That seems like important information. An '_Ops. Did I forget to mention that?_' ringing in the back of his head. It seems like his source of information this time around is not only stale and biased, but unreliable as hell.

"I suppose I am." Was the only reply he could give the girl.

"Giant light beams, flying bison, airbenders... I think I got midnight sun madness." Was Sokka's reply at the declaration. Seems like all this new information is difficult to take in for the young man. "I'm going home to where stuff makes sence."

"I'm not exactly a local here, but I don't think hitchhiking will work too well in these parts." Archer said with a smirk. Sokka seemed a bit insulted at that, but kept his mouth shut.

"You said that's a flying bison, right? Maybe you could give us a lift?" It was his sister that spoke first.

"I suppose there would be no harm in it." Honestly Archer was a bit curious himself as to the flying capabilities of the bison. These two didn't seem dangerous and they would owe him a favor if he helped them. He would still have to keep an eye on them, though. They might just use this as an oportunity to use his kindness and steal the bison. First sign of trouble he will throw the two into the ocean. With that he climbed onto th bison, to where the rope was tied around his horns in a makeshift reign, now with a little more light as to why the air helped him again by pushing him up.

The girl climbed into the saddle that was on the giant bisons back, with a little help from archer, who took this close contact as a chance to better take in the features of the girl.

"Oh no. I am not getting on that fluffy snot monster." Sokka was not as eager as his sister to get on top of the bison, but it was not hard to see that it was only a way to show his dislike of the current situation as he didn't try to stop his sister either.

"Are you hoping some other kind of monster will come along and give you a ride home? You know. Before you freeze to death." The girl asked her brother who for a moment wanted to argue, but thought better of it and quietly got on top of the bison.

"I hope you don't mind that I haven't had the opportunity to install seatbelts just yet." Archer told the two before wondering how this thing actually worked. It was no longer then it took to form the thought that information flooded his mind again. Not just up and down, but a complex list of motions the beast can do mid air, including strafing, flying upside down and barrel rolls. Right now he just focused on getting the lumbering pile of hair to take off. "Appa, yip yip." With a growl the creature slammed its tail, ascended about feet, before belly flopping into the ocean.

'_I shouldn't be surprised."_ Though the voice insisted that Appa was just tired and that he can, in fact, fly, Archer had his doubts.

"Wow. That was truly amazing." Seems like Sokka was just as unimpressed if his bored tone was any indication.

So instead of soaring through the sky, they swam through the ocean. '_Still beats walking_.' Was Archers sole thought between sorting out the information he had received in the past minutes. There was so much to take in. He still kept one eye on the two sibling siting behind him. You can never be too careful in a new place.

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**AN: Next chapter probably wont be up for AT LEAST a week or two. Bear with me. This one came out so soon, because I had a free day, and the positive feedback in PM's and reviews made me try and strike while the iron was still hot, so to say.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations used in this story. The following is a non-profit work of fictions.**

**So instead of a few weeks you get a few months. Surprised? I thought not. **

**I had most of this done some time ago, but didn't feel satisfied with my explanation of things. I'm still not, but it's either this or nothing.  
**

**And don't worry. I'll do my best to keep this from going into a "We Grail war now". Only difference in the world is Archer instead of Aang. Nothing else changes**

**Note: English is still not my first language. It may very well be my third.  
**

**Well that's that.  
**

** Story start**

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'_How far did these kids actually sail out?'_ Archer was getting impatient. They were sailing for a good few hours now. It had gotten dark already. Well... As dark as it's probably gonna get, considering they're apparently in this worlds equivalent of either the north or south pole during summer. They had given him the general direction of their settlement and nothing else, saying things like "you can't miss it, it's the only place with people around." It was hard not to question their definition of "around". He wasn't sure how long the bison can keep this up, before succumbing to exhaustion. The beast didn't seem too bothered swimming through the freezing waters at least, but being frozen solid is bound to have at least some side effects. He just hopes that they get to their destination soon enough. The newly resurrected hero would not turn down some rest himself. It's been a long day after all.

Ending up in a new body, that was frozen in ice for who knows how long and waking up in a completely unfamiliar world would wear anybody out. Especially considering that his new body, though agile, has apparently gone through very little training. In his old body he could go days without rest, before starting to feel the strain of it. He'll have to remedy that when he gets a chance.

His source of information on the new world has been less than helpful. The information has been dripping into his mind during the time they were traveling and had stopped only about half an hour ago, apparently done with the explanation on the new land. He would not call the knowledge he was given very useful. Sure there were the occasional technique on this "airbending" that he apparently was supposed to know and a few other things that he may find use for in the future(if the information wasn't outdated that is), but overall it wasn't things he considered noteworthy. He doubted he'll find time to ride some weir breed of llamas, surf on overgrown koi fish, or play some weird airbender knock off of football(AN this is soccer for those of you in the US). He would have much preferred details on all the limitations on this bending, potential threats. Maybe some rundown on what is considered common knowledge and what sort of things are frowned upon. Not games and cake baking.

Okay he's not too proud to admit that he _might_ have been a bit interested at last part, but that's not the point. The point is that if he doesn't get some some solid facts about what to expect and how to act in public, he is likely to stand out. He learned long ago that that is never a good thing.

The two kids were of little help. Going by what they said, it is reasonable to assume, that they don't have much contact with people outside their own small settlement, so they ran out of conversation material soon enough, having little in common and not knowing each other well enough to ask more personal subjects. The two siblings decided to take the silence that settled around them as a chance to sleep, saying that they have been out hunting for some time and that rest would do them good.

'_I should probably stop referring to them as kids._' He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water a couple times earlier, and noted that his fears were true. His new body was that of a child. Maybe twelve years of age, if that. So technically his two companions were, at least body wise, older than him. He took a glance at the two, taking note that the older of the pair, Sokka, was sleeping in the back of the saddle, while his sister, was lying in the middle, not completely asleep, but not awake either.

Archer had half a mind to join them, seeing as the bison was smart enough to swim forward without needing to be steered, but decided to use the chance to inspect his circuits. He had already delayed that for too long.

Closing his eyes he focused. His circuits were different. That much was obvious. There was also more of them. Many more.

"_But are these even circuits?_" They weren't a part of his spirit like circuits should, but a part of his body. He has never even HEARD of something like that. The energy was actually flowing through his body like blood would, even if in such small quantities that you would need a microscope to see. These... new circuits... they were all over his body. Some smaller, some larger and some already active. He could focus on them and make them more or less active. The moment he made a few a bit more active he felt the air around him move even more, while deactivating them calmed the air.

It didn't take too long, but longer than he would have liked to locate his old circuits. His twenty seven circuits were there alright. The reason it took longer than it should have to find them, was because they were... not exactly different, but somehow weaker. They were still a part of his spirit, rather than his body and attuned the same way they were before, so for better of worse, he couldn't use them for much more than making swords, reinforcement and structural analysis. Not much difference there. Yes, they were weaker, but he will deal with that.

'_Lets try something else.'_ He opened his eyes and attempted one of the simpler airbending techniques that were brought to his attention by resident in his head earlier. He activated a few circuits around the area of his hand, flexed a few muscles there the way he apparently should and a small tornado appeared in his hand. No aria was needed, no complex rituals or anything. It was like his will and a few hand gestures were enough to do it. He closed his eyes again to examine the process behind everything that he just did.

After a bit more experimentation Archer came to a theory. The bending in this world was nothing like the magic in his. Instead of an aria to hypnotize yourself, it used a set of body movements. Flexing one muscle means that the pathways of that energy is cut off and that actually redirect the flow of this energy that his new circuits put out through another part of his body witch also leaves a different affect on the world. So the more of your body you put into it, the more powerful the affects.

It also seems that this body has some training in that area, because some pathways seem more used than others, and the energy apparently works in a way that if you use one pathway for the energy to flow more, it becomes easier to flow through later. If used enough, it becomes easier for the energy to flow through there than through the original path, so it becomes enough to simply activate these circuits and a small shift of the body to open up those pathways to force the desired affect on the world.

It also seemed like this world version of Gaia encourages the use of bending instead of trying to stop it, so that explains why he was subconsciously using his circuits. It might also explain why, despite everyone in the world knowing about it, and a huge portion of the population using bending, it doesn't seem to be weaker. Or maybe it was and if no one knew about it, it would be that much more powerful for anyone who figured it out. That was something he had no method of testing.

The last thing he took note about his circuits, was that they were attuned to a very specific purpose. Even more so than his own. So far it looks like the circuits he used to manipulate the air were the only a part of the new ones he has and that was the only thing they were good for. Manipulating the air. The other ones he wasn't sure because despite everything, he simply could not use them. It was a bit annoying really. It was impossible to know why he even HAD the rest of them. If the childish voice of what he guessed to be the remnants of the previous owner of the body, were to be believed, everyone who could bend could only bend one element. But it was pointless to think on that with only himself to test on.

He moved on to experimenting with reinforcing his body, seeing how much prana he could pour into his limbs before they gave out. He was moving on from his left arm to his right leg, very upset that even such a simple thing was putting a noticeable strain on his old circuits, witch he was now sure were being suppressed by this worlds Gaia. It was at that moment that he noticed the girl siting up slowly move over towards him.

"Hey." She greeted simply.

"Something on your mind?" Archer asked taking note of the girls troubled expression.

"Well I guess I was just wondering. Since you're an airbender and all, if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar?" At the last words he started feeling nervous for some reason. No. It wasn't him that was nervous. It was the remnant of the boy whose body he now inhabited.

"Sorry. I don't know anything about that." He decided to try and end the conversation as fast as possible.

"Okay. Just curious. G'night." She seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Good night." Archer answered.

'_Anything else you'd like to tell me?_' Archer had a feeling that there was a larger part of the boy left than he at first thought. After not getting any answer he continued. '_I don't know what happened before, but this is my body now and if you withhold information from me, you will regret it. The fact that you died doesn't mean i can't make you regret your actions. Spill it._' It seems that that was enough to get more information leaking in. The remnant seemed self conscious. Though not enough to hold an actual conversation with. It's probably for the best. Sharing the same head with someone else is bound to lead to a lot of awkward situations. Root knows he'll get enough of those even without having someone share his head, if his prior existence was any indication.

So apparently he was the avatar, supposed master of all four elements. That explains the rest of the circuits at least. And apparently when the boy was told that he was the avatar, all the other kids didn't want to play with him anymore and the elder expected more of him, so he started regretting being the avatar and ran away. To archer it seemed a bit childish, but then again this was a child so it's natural.

But this opened a whole new can of worms. It would make his life a lot easier, or a lot harder. Considering his luck it's most likely the later. He was too exhausted to think on it now. Plans made with a tired head have a tendency to have too many flaws. The bison seemed reliable enough to swim on without supervision. It didn't seem like the two other passengers are planing anything behind his back either. He could let himself rest for a bit.

With that he closed his eyes and welcomed the embrace of slumber.

* * *

A low growl woke him up from his nightmares. He dreamt of his death and his later role as a Counter Guardian. The dream did not affect him too much, but he still would have rather dreamt of something else.

His two companions were still asleep, and it did not look like they woke up at any time. Up ahead, not too far in the distance he saw a small settlement, if you could call it that. It looked more like an overgrown snow fort. It would almost blend in and be unnoticeable in the snowy tundra if not for the yellow tents. Is this the place these kids live in? It looks more like a camping site than a permanent living place.

"Wake up." He said turning his head to the siblings.

"Just five more minutes Gran Gran..." Even if the girl doesn't seem too eager to wake up it's still better than her brother, who didn't react at all. Sounds like this Gran Gran is her guardian.

" Wake up Katara. Don't keep Gran Gran waiting, or no breakfast for you." He gave his best grandmother impression.

It seems that got the attention of Sokka as well as Katara, thought, for different reasons. The girl sat upright at the sound of my voice instantly, while her brother seemed more interested to mumble about breakfast in his sleep.

"Umm.. Sorry about that..." A faint blush on the girls face.

"Is that your settlement?" Better to ask than to wander into an enemy territory.

"Umm.. Y..Yea. That's the one." Seems like she isn't used to people being so blunt and straightforward.

"I was expecting something bigger when you said 'can't miss it'." Archer meant the remark as lighthearted, to ease the girl, but it didn't seem to help.

"Oh.. Umm.. Well you can't end up swimming anywhere else, because it's all frozen up. It becomes impossible to sail through if you go farther to either side." At this point it seems her brother started waking up from the noise our conversation was giving off.

"Yawn... She's right. We wouldn't just tell you a general direction and go to sleep if there was a chance we would get lost. You worry too much." Seems like Sokka had more sense than he shows.

"Coming from the guy who thought that a kid frozen in a lump of ice in the middle of the South pole was a fire nation spy." Seems like at least teasing her brother cheered the girl up a bit.

"Hey I was suspicious alright? And he didn't dump us in the water while we slept, so I guess he's alright." Seems like a nap put any worry the teen may have had to rest.

The fact that Archer would have suffocated them both before throwing them into the water if he had desire to kill them, since throwing one out would cause a splash that would wake the second, he'll keep to himself.

Now that they were closer, Archer had a better look at the settlement. It was small. Barely 15 tents and a large igloo. A small wall around the settlement that was made of snow and offered little no no protection, seeing as it was barely half a meter at some places.

"Lets go. I'll introduce you to the village." Seems like the girl was back in high spirits at the sight of her home.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Archer became cautious again. If the two teens were playing him, then he would end up surrounded and at a distinct disadvantage the moment he entered the settlement.

"What, you nervous? Don't worry. If you weren't nervous around Katara, then I doubt you'll find anyone else to be nervous around in the village." Perhaps Archer overestimated the teen earlier if he confuses the former Counter Guardians obvious caution for shyness.

"Sokka!" His sister doesn't seem too amused by his idea of a joke either.

"Relax. I'm kidding. C'mon, Archer. I'm sure the village will like you. And if it turns out to be too boring you can be on your merry way whenever you want."

After a bit of consideration our hero decided that it's his best option at this point. It's a small settlement so he should be able to fight his way out if worst comes to worst and he has no idea witch way to go to reach any other points of civilization. His knowledge is not only lacing, but most likely stale as well so getting a bit of a feel for the culture and habits of the people of this world is necessary and it's best to get that in small settlements first, before moving on to bigger ones.

"Fine." He barely finished his agreement when the girl started basically dragging him behind her. He saw that his giant bison had already started to draw a crowd and for a moment he started questioning his decision, until he noticed something.

The village was populated by women and children. Not a single man was in sight.

'_Perhaps they're laying in ambush?'_ Was his first thought, but it would make no sense. They would at least leave some older men out to make him feel at ease.

"Archer, this is the entire village. Entire village, this is Archer." During the introduction women started to hold their children closer to them. They were obviously frightened.

"ENTIRE village? Where are the men?" He hoped he was not pressing his luck with his question. He was an outsider so their caution was well founded, but the answer to his question would decide if he will run or stay.

"They left to go fight in the war. And forgive our fear of you, but no one has seen an airbender for a hundred years. We thought they were extinct. Until my granddaughter and grandson found you." It was an old woman that stepped forward and spoke. She was by far the oldest person in the entire village.

'_War huh? Why am I not surprised that this is the first I hear of it. Not only that, but extinct? Either this body has been on ice for longer than I thought, or I will be hunted down by these airbenders for revealing their existence.' _Archers thoughts were unheard by the people around him as Katara continued her introduction of him.

"Archer, this is my grandmother." Katara said, oblivious to Archers concerns.

"Call me Gran Gran." Came the old womens own introduction.

"Already introducing me to your family? Aren't you rushing things a bit?" Archer said with a smirk. That got a deep blush on Katara. It also seemed to put some of the people a bit more at ease, even getting a few chuckles on Kataras expense. Of course you wouldn't hear those over the loud open laughter of Sokka, who was laughing holding his stomach and was a lot closer than he was before.

"Aaaa... Good one buddy." Seems a bad joke is all it takes to get on Sokkas good side.

"It wasn't that funny." Archer said a bit uncomfortable with the familiarity the teen had used. Honestly. Were these people really that trusting?

"Ya, you're right. My jokes are still better." Sokka boasted with a puffed chest.

"For once I almost agree." Seems his sister was still blushing, though she was smiling a bit so she was probably just pretending to be annoyed at this point.

"Alright enough bantering. Come on Katara. You have chores." The old woman said taking Kataras hand and walking away.

They walked a bit away and started talking again. Archer still had a bit concern about being here so he reinforced his ears as much as he dared at this point. It wasn't much, but they weren't very far away so it didn't matter.

"Isn't it amazing Gran Gran? I finally found a bender to teach me."

"Katara, try not to put all your hopes in this boy. Even if you did see him bend, witch I didn't, he is an airbender, not a waterbender. And even if he was I don't think he'd jump at the chance to teach you."

"But there's something special about him. I feel it. He may not have been very open to everyone, but I think that he has great wisdom and kindness in him."

'_So the girl wants me to teach her? Too bad for her. Even if I wanted to I barely know anything about airbending, let alone waterbending.'_ Archer was still trying to overhear if they said anything else important, so he was unable to sense Sokka sneak up to him.

"So are you really an airbender? Apart from sneezing and jumping I haven't seen anything very bendy about you." Sokka said and Archer nearly jumped at the surprise. He managed to keep his cool, but barely.

'_How did I let him sneak up on me like that? I swear I was keeping an eye on my surroundings. I should watch out for this guy. He has more steel in him than first meets the eye.' _He was occupied so much by his thoughts that he almost forgot that he was being talked to.

"No show without a ticket." Archer was still not too eager to openly show his capabilities in front of everyone he meats. More so because he only knew about his new powers in theorie. He had yet to practice with them.

"Aw come on. The kids are curious. They never seen a bender other than Katara and, to be honest, she's not that good." Said kids were standing a bits away, still not comfortable coming too near, but looking at him expectantly. "At least tell me what's up with the staff? Doesn't look like a weapon."

The staff he was talking about was one he found in the saddle of the bison when he and the two teens first got in in and made way towards the village. It was apparently supposed to be important to him, and structural analyses showed him that, though it has a contraption inside that lets it fold and unfold into a glider, it's still sturdy enough to take a few blows, so he took it with him into the village, deciding it was better than nothing. Tracing was not something he tries in open battle before in safety when in a new world.

"It's just a staff." He felt like he should trust these people, but he doesn't like the idea of trusting people he met less than 12 hours ago.

"Oh come on." Sokka started whining. "Oh! How about a trade? You give the kids a show and we treat you to a nice warm meal?" The teen said snapping his fingers.

He was really eager to see Archers bending. Almost suspiciously so. It may just be curiosity of young people, but suspicion is something that came naturally after centuries of being a witness to the chaos humanity can bring upon itself with lies and deceit. Then again. He was starving. The body obviously hadn't had a meal in a long while. The practice with his new bodies capabilities earlier didn't help either. So, against his better judgment, he caved in.

"Fine. Better be some good food though." With that said he opened the glider like his inherited memories showed he should, activated some of his new circuits and hoped the air will do the rest.

As he took off he saw the look of awe in the faces of those who were still outside. Handling the glider was easier than he thought it would be. The air seemed to do most of the work for him. He took this opportunity to get a birds view of his surroundings and saw a peculiar site not too far from the village. He decided to check it out later. After a minute or so he landed and was greeted with everyone in the village looking at him like he had... well.. like he had been flying, witch he had. Katara, who had apparently saw his performance as well was jogging towards him, while the children started cheering for him with the occasional remark on how it was magic.

"That was amazing!" The girl was standing near him again. She had her sleeves up, so she was probably in the middle of one of her chores that her grandmother dragged her off to.

Sokka on the other hand was still staring at the sky where he had been flying, like he had seen... well like he had seen someone flying. Witch he had.

"You were flying..." The voice that came from Sokka belonged not to a 16 year old teen, but to a man with a broken mind, who had seen to much in his life. For a moment Archer was concerned if he may have mentally damaged the teen. That is, of course, until he started sniffing the air "Do I smell sea prunes?"

"Ya. I was helping Gran Gran make lunch." Katara answered her brother.

"Well you're in luck Archer. You are about to be treated to the best food the South pole has to offer!" His broken mind forgotten, Sokka made way towards the promise of food.

"Come on Archer! It's not ready yet, but you can come along and help me keep Sokka from ruining everything until it is." And with that the former Counter Guardian was draged off to a tent where he would have his first taste of this new worlds cuisine.

* * *

It has been a few hours now since lunch. Everyone was dong their own thing now. Witch left Archer alone with his thoughts for the time being.

Lunch had been... interesting. When he first walked in he first saw the old woman preparing some sort of stew. Katara wasted no time in joining her. Sokka kept bugging them about whether the food was ready between making small talk. Archer himself refrained from answering questions and instead dodged them with sarcastic remarks, shrugs, and the occasional question about the meal that was being prepared. Cooking was the first real skill he learned after all. It was going relatively normal.

And then the stew was finished. It smelled good enough. Strange. But a good strange. At first he was nervous about poison, but after he was Sokka dig in with gusto and the others at a more reasonable pace, he decided to try it himself. Appa was eating some tundra grass so there was no worry there.

He still isn't sure how he managed to down that stuff without puking, even if his stomach was completely empty. Only years of hardened battle and common courtesy made him finish what he had in his plate, witch was thankfully not much. Any more and he was sure he would have passed out. Right now if he was offered a choice between another bowl, or returning to be a Counter Guardian... well let's just say it would be a hard decision to make. If that is the best the South pole has to offer, he fears what the worst could be.

Right now he needed to think about something else. Namely like the thing he saw in the distance when he was flying. He tried asking about it through subtle hints. Apparently it was forbidden for anyone going there for some reason.

All the more reason to check it out. He decided to sneak out when no one was watching. It shouldn't take more than an hour. He will leave Appa here. It would be hard to sneak around with a 10 ton mountain of wool behind you. The people here are obviously without ill intentions, so the beast should be safe.

It wasn't far off. A light jog with the help of the air and he was there in 8 minutes. It was metal ship on top of a mountain of ice. The ice didn't seem naturally formed though. Perhaps the work of some bender of this world? But the power needed to lift something of this size would be enormous. Just how powerful are these benders?

He spent a few minutes looking at the outside of the ship. This world is a bit more modern than he at first thought if it's anything to go by. While the people at the village seemed to use bone and seal skin, this ship is not only metal, but seems to be driven by at least a steam engine if the turbines are anything to go by. He'd be surprised if it was turned by man power.

As he was about to make his way inside he saw a blue figure running towards him from the direction of the village. So he was seen making his way here. Hopefully it won't lead to anything too violent. He decided to wait rather than flee. That would only lead to more trouble. After a minute or so the blue figure approached and it turned out to be none other than Katara.

"Archer! Stop! You can't go in there!" She started yelling as soon as Archer was within hearing range.

"Care to explain why that is? And how did you know I was here." Were these people some sort of technophobes? It is obvious that they salvaged nothing from this ship.

"I came looking for you in the village, but no one saw you. Then I saw something orange running in this direction so I followed. We're not allowed to go in there! It might be booby trapped." Well at least that explained their reluctance to loot the ship. But this is an old ship. Surely there won't be any laser detectors. It will be a trip wire or a pressure plate. You just have to keep your eyes pealed. Though to people who still use bones and seal skin for everything in their life, he can understand why they would be cautious. And apparently he really needs a new wardrobe. Yellow and orange DO tends to stand out a bit.

"And that's why I'm going in and not you." Archer was about to go inside but was grabbed by the arm. He took that as a sign of hostility was about to strike but stopped himself when he was the pleading look in the girls eyes.

"Please, Archer." The look in her eyes almost made him reconsider.

Almost.

He shook the hand off and went inside with a last warning to the girl.

"Do not follow me. I can't guarantee your safety if you do."

* * *

The inside of the ship was dark, but the holes that the elements created in the hull over the years gave enough light to see.

It was a ship of war. It was filed with weapons. They were no Noble Phantasms, but they were high quality, considering the were siting here for who knows how long. Every room was lined with metal. And just as he expected it had a steam engine. It seems that this world really is more advanced than he thought at first. It still had no electricity, but considering this ship has been here for years even that may have changed. Strangely there are no firearms. Or anything that would use gunpowder. He can't know what he is really up against until he starts to explore more of the world.

A low clanging of metal starts to echo from behind him.

'_Damn that girl.'_ It seems she decided to follow after him.

"Archer! Are you ok? You've been in here really long!" Well if she thought he wasn't ok it would be all the more reason for her not to go in here. Honestly. What's wrong with this girl.

"Stay where you are. I'm coming out." Hopefully she doesn't trip something off.

"Archer!" She started running towards me as soon as she saw me.

"Stop!" To late. She already set off a trip wire. It looks like it activated some sort of Goldberg machine.

"Oh no! Archer, I'm sorry!"It seems she started panicking.

"Doesn't matter now. We need to leave." Before she could argue Archer grabbed her hand and started dragging her behind him, smashing down old doors that seemed to lock themselves after the wire was tripped. It didn't take a lot of effort since they were already rusted around the hinges, but it still left an ache in his shoulder.

They finally made it out and saw that apparently the ship launched a flare that was still in the air.

"Hope no one sees that." Looks like the girl still hadn't learned not to tempt the universe.

'_Just my luck.'_ The moment Katara finished her words Archer saw a speck in the distance. It was dark and it was leaving black clouds behind. It was impossible to make out the size and speed from this distance, but it was obviously a ship. And knowing his luck it probably saw the flare and is going to come check it out.

'_Hope this doesn't end in death. Mine or anyone else's.'_

* * *

_**AN: I'm not sure how I will continue. It will either be I have Archer kill Zuko, leave Sokka and Katara behind and go save the world lone wolf style (witch I'm afraid of doing due to my lack of originality that will be needed in creating new characters and locations as well as events) or it will be Archer, for some reason decides that an attempt on his life and the lives of others doesn't deserve death and leaves Zuko alive, For some reason lets 2 kids risk their lives coming with him and try to follow the original story (witch I'm afraid of doing as it might turn out to be just the written version of the cartoon with a bit more sarcastic Aang). Please review. I**__**t's the rush I get from reviews that keeps me trying to write this. Maybe recommend some nicknames for Archer? Using his name in every other sentence does tend to get old. Till next time.  
**_


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